The Underground's Final Hero
by IblisVoid
Summary: An alternate ending to Undertale. To get this ending one would need to complete one Genocide run and a few pacifist runs before getting this phone call from Sans. Going as far back as the 1st human's descent into the underground, this story is very spoiler heavy and contains themes of suicide and some swearing and ideally, would be the way to save a timeline from a genocide run.
1. Chapter 1

The Underground's Final Hero

hey.

 **You.**

 **Don't you have anything better to do then torture people like this?**

...

We need to talk.

Face to Face. And I don't mean Frisk.

Meet me at the Final Corridor

You can spare or kill however you please on your way there

Because clearly it doesn't matter to you. I'm not even sure if it ever has.

See you soon.

*click*

Every part of Frisk told themselves that they should not respond to Sans's request. That, by doing so, they would only be giving in to the all consuming power of determination to see every line of dialogue possible. Everything was fine now! The barrier was broken, the monsters, free to enter the surface world...A hope that the relationship between monsters and humans could finally be mended.

And yet...

Frisk remembered what they had done. Who they had become. Making a mistake so disastrous, so wrong, that Frisk was willing to sell their soul to undo it-even for a moment. The guilt Frisk felt was immeasurable and, like a child they had been working desperately to stop that...thing, from destroying everything.

Chara.

That demon would appear every time at the very end...and ruin everything. Again and again Frisk was forced to watch themselves kill these monsters that they had come to love and cherish so deeply. But there was no point now. Chara had cleverly played to Frisk's determination and now trapped them in an endless loop of madness. And Frisk had tried everything. Every time they reset they tried manipulating the world Chara made for them in different ways. Editing the game files to get to different rooms, getting Sans to let Frisk into their room, even the annoying dog's room eventually opened after they tried hard enough.

But there was not an answer in any of the rooms that could change what Frisk had done. It was brutal in how fair it was.

No one is above consequence.

It had been such a dark time. Their time before making it to the underground seemed so painful, so hopeless. The world was terrible and falling apart quickly, its denizens, monsters in disguise, preying on the weak but worst of all was the inner conflict. The day to day thoughts that run through every person's head.

 _What am I doing?_

 _Who am I?_

 _Why am I saying these stupid things?_

 _Why do I let people do this to me?_

 _Why do people let this happen_

 _Do you even care...?_

 _DO I EVEN CARE!?_

 _HOW COULD YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL!?_

Frisk knew the legend of , that when humans climbed its peak they tended not to come back. They had counted on the legend being true. The existential weight of existence and the lack of drive to care about anything would drive any adolescent there when all hope was lost. You could say...before all this Frisk was a person without a trace of determination in their whole body.

But then they fell down here!

The underground was the greatest thing to happen to Frisk! Sure it hurt, and it was scary at first, but when Toriel challenged Frisk to prove that they were worthy, a kind of spark ignited in the child that they had never felt before. Where Frisk could do nothing now, they were able to dodge fire balls and beat boss monsters just like a superhero! Can you imagine? Being lifted from having nothing to having boundless potential? So yes. Frisk killed a Froggit or two. Frisk defeated the gatekeeper of the ruins, Toriel, the legendary knight Undyne and even the great King Asgore himself! Frisk of course felt terrible for ending those lives when they saw the pained expressions and heard the moans of each defeated monster but at the end of the day Frisk was told very early on.

 **King Asgore would take Frisk's soul and destroy humanity.**

A single question would echo through Frisk's mind throughout the entire journey.

 _Why do I have to die for the good of monsters?_

It haunted Frisk, the closer and closer they got to the king the more they realized they would need to find an answer to this question. Sooner or later Frisk would have to determine if this was the legacy Frisk wanted to leave behind. If after this great journey, Frisk would just...let it end.

And then, when Frisk finally beat Flowey and they were given the option to spare him? Frisk didn't even give the flower the time of day before brutally slashing it again and again, pounding it into the ground until it was dust. Something changed in Frisk that day. When they realized that the way to take destiny in their own hands...

 **Was to kill or be killed.**

Frisk reloaded the game in an instant and this time, would spare not a single monster. Selfishly Frisk hoped to themselves that, if they took the EXP and LV from the monsters down here, to grow stronger than they had on the surface then by sheer will Frisk would break through the barrier without Asgore's help. And that when they returned to the surface world, they would be strong enough to face the fear in their own heart as well as the daunting challenge of finding a reason to keep going with the rest of humanity.

It was horrible. Frisk became the very thing that had terrorized them so long ago. It became so easy to skip everything each monster said and turn them into dust. It was intoxicating how easy it was. Determination swelled into a warped sense of hope that things would change and disbelief that they were doing anything wrong.

It grew to such a length that even Sans's words had fallen on deaf ears. Warnings of a bad time, readings of timelines starting and then stopping. The power Frisk was dealing with was the power of a God and was never intended to be used by stupid selfish children like Frisk.

The first time Frisk had seen Sans in that golden hall, it had been a wondrous and thought-provoking moment but that second time...it was one of the scariest times in their lives, rivaled only by their lonely ascension up in the first place. The more times Sans defeated Frisk, the more times they heard every part of their body trying to tell Frisk that what they were doing was wrong. That they should just stop and let the monsters be at peace. That what Frisk was doing was wrong.

But at the very same time, the voice inside their mind seemed smaller and smaller with each reload. Replaced instead with noises Frisk didn't even know they could make, heavy breaths, snarls, and that horrible laughter bouncing off the walls of Frisk's subconscious. It got to the point where Frisk would simply blink and they'd be a little closer to beating Sans each time. Until that last blink.

Watching Sans stumble off to Grillby's wasn't just horrible, it was a deafening experience. The weight of Frisk's sins crawled down Frisk's body and plastered them to the ground. Frisk could just look at the cut they had dealt to Sans and feel it on their own chest. Each time a splotch of blood(ketchup?) hit the ground, was part of Frisk falling out of their body. Until finally...when Sans died...Chara leveled up and Frisk died.

Now in this puppet's body, Frisk had been desperately searching for some kind of answer, some kind of way to take control of their destiny again like they had before. Killing monsters didn't do it. Sparing monsters didn't do it either. There didn't seem to be a route to solve this mess. There was no escaping this hell.

And Frisk was now getting to the point where they were ready to live with that.

So Frisk hit the reset button again. Waking up in those dusty old ruins, and simply waited. Though Frisk walked, it was Chara that directed where they went, Frisk simply zoned out checking back every now and then to see where they were at.

Finally, Frisk opened their eyes to find themselves in that golden chamber once again. They approached with no hesitation to the point Frisk knew Sans would appear and start talking. And he did, and of course Frisk knew it word for word. It was the dialogue for the neutral ending that Frisk was about to get. But...how could this be? Sans had called Frisk at the end of that last route! Surely he hadn't forgotten? In that moment...Frisk finally felt a single heartbeat.

 _Was this it...?_

Frisk quickly interrupted Sans' speech.

*huh? what'd you say?

...

*Well we're talking right now right?

*Anyway...

He then starts his speech over. Frisk began to get worried at this point, this couldn't possibly be where it ends. To dangle that bit of hope in front of Frisk like that? A surge of determination that Frisk had not felt in a long time surged and Frisk stamped their foot, again cutting Sans off.

...

*Perfect.

 ***Now I know I've got your attention.**

Sans eye began glowing that familiar shade of blue and the room began to darken.

*its a beautiful day outside

*birds are singing

*flowers are blooming...

Frisk's felt a cold shiver down their spine upon hearing those lines as a look of terror formed on their face. Sans saw this in Frisk, his expression only becoming more horrific as he stared with sheer hatred at the child.

*kids like you...

*SHOULD BE BURNING IN HELL!

Frisk's legs moved on their own, this first attack was so ingrained in Frisk's memory that it was just sheer instinct to dodge it on queue. As the dust setteled Sans chuckled and spoke coldly.

*huh...That was my strongest attack. You're pretty good!

 ***Its almost like you've done this before.**

It was starting again. This horrible fight was starting once more. How many times would Frisk have to tear themselves apart before this hell would end? Though the fight was out of place, Frisk continued on like it was a normal battle, only this time, instead of attacking Sans, Frisk continually hit the spare button. Sans seemed to ignore this, and attacked using the same patterns they had done before and each time Frisk got farther, more dialouge was presented to them.

*I've been trying to wrap my head around what kind of person you are.

*You act the same every time. You build these connections with all these people

and then go back like you did something wrong.

*Letting Toriel take you in.

*Solving puzzles with Papyrus...

*Making that pasta with Undyne?

*That uh...performance you got going on with Mettaton...

*That duel you have with the King...

*Even fighting that flower...

*Frankly? I find it kind of creepy.

*At first I didn't even notice, but now, with each RESET, I'm remembering more and more.

*You're resetting everything, and making the same choices and even acting the same over and over again.

*Not only that, but the way you acted, when you thought I was just going to say

the same thing...that means you remember everything too right?

*So what are you doing? What do you gain from building my friends up

just to knock them back underground?

*No human should be able to withstand the kind of pain you're giving yourself.

*Just what do you want?

At this point the fight ends and you are immediately presented with two options

 **\- I've done something really bad...**

 **\- There's no point in telling you.**

(cover image is from post/133068497331/you-hear-a-passing-conversation-one-of-my )


	2. I've done something really bad

*Something bad? What are you talking about?

You tell Sans about the photo of everyone you found in his Lab. He blinks curiously and then reaches into his jacket revealing the photo. A group picture of all the monsters Frisk had become friends with.

*A...A picture!? How did you know I had-

Sans takes another look at the photo, slightly tilting it to show a different picture.

*Its a picture of all of us...but whats with these red crosses? Is this some kind of joke?

*...

*...

*Frisk, what are you trying to say to me right now!? Is the person in this picture you!? The REAL you!?

 **-Yes**

 **-No**


	3. There's no point in telling you

Sans closes his eyes and shakes his head at Frisk's response.

*Thats wrong and you know it.

*After all this time, all these resets, you know what I think?

*I think you're running from something. You're not satisfied with the ending that everyone else likes and keep playing this demented game.

*Or you seriously don't have ANYTHING better to do.

Frisk tells Sans about the photo of everyone you found in his Lab. He blinks curiously and then reaches into his jacket revealing the photo. It was a group shot of all the monsters Frisk had become friends with.

*A picture? How did you know I had-

Sans takes another look at the picture, when he tilts it slightly, it shows a different image...

*Its a picture of all of us...but whats with these red crosses? Is this some kind of joke?

...

...

Frisk, what are you trying to say to me right now!? Is the person in this picture you!? The REAL you!?

 **\- Yes**

 **\- No**


	4. Yes

The silence is deafening. Even the birds ceased their peaceful chirping as all life, all time seemed to drag to a standstill. Sans opened his eyes and did their best to look at Frisk. It was plainly evident that he was trying his best to hold onto that smile he'd always had.

* Kiddo...What have you done?

*Thats...thats why you keep resettin' aint it?

* Because no matter how many times you save us...You...kill us.

* ...

* ...

* ...

* ...

* oh man...thats a tough pill to swallow.

* kinda just makes you...really not want to try anymore...

* ...

* ...

Sans takes a step away from Frisk, finally letting grief take hold of him, transforming his expression into a broken frown. He raises his hands up, immediately putting Frisk on the defense as a single white bone raises from the ground. It flies up in the air quickly, Frisk watching its every move as it zooms down to attack Frisk it stops inches away from their face. Then, suddenly it turns around and points at Sans and without warning, flies directly at Sans!

 **-Stop him.**

 **-Don't stop him.**


	5. No

*huh...but this picture used to have my face on it.

*it had Papyrus's, Toriel's, Undyne's, Asgore's, myself and...

*Yours.

*But looking at this picture now, everyone's faces are crossed out.

*Everyone except yours.

*No one knows about this picture except myself...and apparently you.

*...

The silence is deafening. Even the birds ceased their peaceful chirping as all life, all time seemed to drag to a standstill. Sans opened his eyes and did their best to look at Frisk. It was plainly evident that he was trying his best to hold onto that smile he'd always had.

* Kiddo...What have you done?

*Thats...thats why you keep resettin' aint it?

* Because no matter how many times you save us...You...kill us.

* ...

* ...

* ...

* ...

* oh man...thats a tough pill to swallow.

* kinda just makes you...really not want to try anymore...

* ...

* ...

Sans takes a step away from Frisk, finally letting grief take hold of him, transforming his expression into a broken frown. He raises his hands up, immediately putting Frisk on the defense as a single white bone raises from the ground. It flies up in the air quickly, Frisk watching its every move as it zooms down to attack Frisk it stops inches away from their face. Then, suddenly it turns around and points at Sans and without warning, flies directly at Sans!

 **-Stop him**

 **-Don't stop him**


	6. Stop him

Frisk springs forward in the nick of time, wrapping their fingers around the bone and holding back the bone with sheer will. It vibrates and flails wildly to get out of your control but Frisk does not let it escape. Sans opens his eyes, his painted smile returning to his face as he mutters quietly

*what do you want from me...

Frisk's HP was draining fast, and in those moments Sans sees that the pain in Frisk's expression...was real. Sans puts shrugs and puts his hands up, terror evident in only his eyes.

*J-Just give up kid...I am.

But Frisk couldn't give up. A new-found determination had taken hold of the child, something they hadn't felt in any of the previous runs and now empowered them to protect their friend. The bone is fighting furiously to get out of Frisk's hand...Sans was...putting a lot of effort into this.

*Asgore always said after we got the 7 human souls things would change. Gave us all something to hope for.

HP: 0.90/99

*And like an idiot...I believed him. Well, at first anyway.

HP: 0.80/99

*But its clear now that not only will that never happen.

HP: 0.70/99

*But...

HP: 0.60/99

* **I have to wait for some stupid kid's goddamn blessing to let me and my brother finally die in peace.**

HP: 0.50/99

*So I'll say it again.

HP: 0.40/99

* JUST WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?

HP: 0.30/99

* What do I gotta do to get you DIRTY ROTTEN HUMANS to leave us alone!?

HP: 0.20/99

Frisk is on their knees at this point, the bone, sapping away their life as Sans just watches, his emotions conflicted on whether or not to let the kid die, or to spare them. There were parts of Frisk that Sans had grown to liking, namely, how much they made his brother happy. At first, Frisk had seemed like a good kid, then again, so had the others before them. And no matter how many times he saved them, they always ended up dying in the end. When Frisk fully becomes chara, the kid he knows dies and that freak takes its place. Did this mean that, Frisk was always destined to become Chara? That no matter what Sans did, Frisk would end up killing everyone he knew? If that was true, then what was this feeling? This indistinguishable air of determination that was ever present in the room? No other child had gotten anywhere near where Frisk had gotten. They were always killed in the first timeline. So then what did that make Frisk? How was Frisk able to have determination, even now when they were aware of their grim fate?

It was because Frisk by nature was an anomaly.

Up until Frisk, getting the souls was relatively easy. Humans were made of nothing but soft flesh and their soul trapped inside. But Frisk had taken more damage than any other human combined. Toriel's fire, Undyne's spear even Asgore's trident seemed to only graze the flesh of the child. It could be argued that the monsters were holding back to some degree, not wanting to kill another innocent, but was there something more to it? Was it possible that Frisk had received some kind of boon the other humans had not? Looking at the child now dangling again on the verge of life and death, a new idea formed in Sans' bonehead and with that he willed away the bone a second before it killed Frisk, leaving them to fall to the ground panting. Sans walks over to the downed Frisk, towering over them he knew he could end their life without a second thought.

*Kid I...

Frisk lunges up without warning at the skeleton and embraces them as tightly as they can. At first this startles Sans and triggers him summon a bone and finish the human off, but after a while he realizes what is happening and falls to his knees to hug the human the bones lying helplessly around the two of them. Neither of them speak as their were no words to convey just how messed up this situation was. They both understood each other. That was all that mattered.

The only sound that can be heard is a faint whoopee cushion sound that goes off when hugging Sans in the right spot. Their quiet chuckles echo through the hall.

Eventually, Sans helps Frisk get up, handing them a hot dog(?) to help restore their HP. Frisk ravenously consumes it and then looks back to Sans.

*...Welp, I've had about enough of this stiff atmosphere.

*What do you say we go to Grillby's? You could say I'm DYING to get out of here.

Frisk's mouth scrunches to the side, that joke really wasn't in good taste.

*Yeah, that wasn't a good joke at all, pretty MARROW in my book.

A smile curls onto Frisk's face

*I mean my jokes aren't all BARE BONES, most of em are pretty SANSational!

Sans extends their hand to Frisk, giving the kid a wink as he did so and Frisk takes it.

\- **These jokes are pretty humerus, but can we get a fe-mur?**

((More to come))


	7. Don't stop him

Frisk had all the power in the world to stop the bone from hitting Sans. But was it their right to do so? If this whole situation was so hopeless, was it really in Frisk's place to make Sans keep going through it? The Frisk that Sans was friends with...was long gone. In its place was this husk of a person, ruining things for everyone. A powerless, hopeless, shell that made things worse for everyone. That was how Frisk saw themselves now. So when that bone pierced through Sans's heart, Frisk simply watched it happen. They let the level of their sins crush them with guilt as their feet were once again rooted to the floor. Flashes went through their head as they remembered killing Sans the first time and realizing, it hurt far more to watch Sans do the 1 point of damage himself.

*So I'm not going to bother.

*The underground? The other monsters? The surface world?

*I just can't keep caring about that anymore. This world doesn't concern monsters of any kind.

*Only brats like you.

Frisk's weapon falls from their hand and tears begin to fall from their eyes. As Sans keeps talking, every now and then glimpses of Chara are evident in Frisk's expression. No matter how many times Frisk played through this world. This time...this moment...Was the last time the Frisk they knew themselves as...would exist.

*I hope you remember me for as long as you live.

*When you build your castle of bones and dust I hope that you toss and turn every night

*And remember how you drove an honest guy like me

 ***To their death.**

 ***Because that's when I'll return.**

 ***And we'll both burn in hell.**

And with that, he was gone. That sinister smile still plastered on Sans' face, he dissolved from the feet up into dust and blew away with the wind. Frisk could hear the sound of their own heartbeat, quickly beating, it was pushing out all the remaining determination Frisk had left. Their guilt, their sadness, their outlook on life, was slowly pouring out of Frisk with each beat of their heart and being replaced with emptiness. Chara was getting closer. They could feel it.

On the ground where Sans had been was now...just a coat covered in dust. Lying in a crumpled ball on the ground Frisk used the last of their energy to step forward and put it on. The color draining from their skin as they walked closer and closer to the coat. They didn't speak, they didn't think, Frisk simply put the coat on.

 **It was heavy.**

Only fit for someone carrying the burdens of the entire world on their shoulders. A role that now belonged to Frisk. Frisk closed their eyes and fell into the darkness of their own mind. Their soul, already gone to chara, Frisk willingly let the determination seep from their body, and returned to the powerless little child they once were. Chara reset the world for Frisk and carried out another genocide run. A run in which, Frisk had no control over. They just watched as the monsters were all slaughtered once again. The coat seemed to make Frisk impossible to be hit anyway, but the most haunting fact that kept Frisk from fighting back was that...Sans, was nowhere to be seen. Papyrus didn't seem to think he had a brother, and no one else in the underground even knew a skeleton by that name.


	8. These jokes are pretty humerus

Blinking, Frisk found themselves back at that familiar diner and turned to Sans, who was already sitting at the bar like he had been there his whole life. Frisk noted that currently, there was no one else in the diner even though usually it was full of monsters but paid it little mind. Meanwhile, Sans reaches for the ketchup bottle and downs the whole bottle in one gulp before you, he then slams it down on the table and slowly turns to look at you.

*Alright kid. Now I want to you to tell me exactly whats going on here and with any luck, there may be some clue about how to undo all this.

Frisk opens their mouth to speak but Sans quickly cuts them off, a mysterious smile was plastered on his face.

*And Frisk...I need the whole truth. If you are really serious about coming clean...

*About righting your wrongs...

*Then I need to know that I can trust you fully.

*No more secrets. No more games. Thats the only way this will work.

*So let em out kid. I'm all ears.

Sans joked at that last bit, pointing to the part of his skull where his ears would be, but the joke landed on deaf ears. Frisk's calm demeanor slowly dissolved away and was instead replaced with the wave of sins that belonged to them. This was real life. Frisk was responsible for the deaths of countless monsters.

Their past was not a thing Frisk ever liked to talk about, in fact, they had never really opened up to anyone the way Sans was asking Frisk to. But the fact remained that Sans was a good monster at heart. All this time, all he had ever done was for the good of the others underground, especially his brother. So they started slow. Frisk talked about their family on the surface world, the good parts of their life that Frisk had. After all Frisk had all the time in the world to recollect those old days as they had plowed through timeline after timeline. A simpler time that Frisk could only really appreciate now that everything here was so much worse.

But as the story went on, Frisk found themselves choking up more and more. What had once been a crutch to drive Frisk forward now filled the human with guilt and fear. Sans had been right from the very start! Frisk was nothing but a spoiled brat who destroyed everything they touched! People like Frisk didn't deserve to have friends like these. Everything would have been easier if Frisk was never born!

These thoughts plagued Frisk's mind and sent them spiraling out of control, clutching at their head Frisk did everything they could to remain under control. It was then...that Frisk heard a familiar voice.

*What a terrible creature interrogating such a poor, innocent youth...

Every word sent shivers down Frisk's spine as they looked behind them. There at the back of the diner, was Toriel. She wasn't wearing that same motherly expression Frisk had come to known but rather one that seemed distant from this world. Even her words seemed to drip out in a slow lost manner, like they didn't exactly mean what they sounded like. Frisk then looked to Sans, confused as to how Toriel was here, which Sans only replied with a mysterious shrug of the shoulders and a chuckle that echoed through the building and then returning to his third ketchup bottle.

Toriel slowly walked up to the counter, each step making Frisk feel more ashamed. They could tell that Toriel remembered, or at least knew what Frisk had done. Most likely by Sans doing. Frisk couldn't bear to see Toriel like this. No mother should ever look at their child the way Toriel was. But Frisk knew they deserved it.

Toriel sat down on the opposite side of the bar, pausing for a moment to collect herself before speaking, still not looking at Frisk in the eye.

*Sans told me everything. The...genocide of the underground...the resets.

*Even talking about it now is a bit confusing...At first I wouldn't even believe Sans. How could I?

*How could I believe that such a youth like yourself...could ever get wrapped up in something so horrible!

She looks to Sans with an expression of concern. He seemed to be doing everything he could to not be a part of this conversation and Toriel knew in her heart that it was because she had pushed him away after his continued accusations against Frisk. That scene where she pushed him away resurfaced in her mind...

 **Flashback**


	9. Flashback

The day Toriel left Asgore is a day that Toriel will never forget. She had come to see each monster of the underground as one of her own, and while the two joked a lot, they put far more effort into the Underground then anyone had ever asked the pair of them to do. Every speck of dirt, every home, every monster, Toriel knew it all. And of course the feelings she had developed for Asgore were so great that she could never completely dispose of them. He was the one! The one person who Toriel not only felt comfortable spending the rest of her life with, but one that would finally no longer hurt her. Thats why it was so frustrating to see Asgore fall apart like he had. When she had thoughts about that man and what he was doing, she found the only way to get rid of those thoughts was to get up and walk around. Travel endlessly in this labyrinth she now called her home. And what better way to do that, then in a canoe?

When she had left the kingdom, she expected great resistance. While Asgore was technically the king everyone knew that it was Toriel that did the ruling, and to lose her would be to lose the kingdom itself. But she would not chain herself to someone that would only drag her down.

 **Never Again.**

So when Toriel left, she did not choose to go by the road, or even by the bird that carries you over a disproportionately small gap. Instead, she donned a heavy cloak and adorned the new persona as the Riverwoman. Silent to everyone she met she created an intimidating personality that would keep any passing monsters from asking questions. And those that did, she would draw one of Asgore's old spears to show she was ready to take a life. Luckily, she never actually had to swing the thing. She drowned her feelings and did everything she could to keep from falling apart during her journey away from the king and fell into the darkness to keep her appearance up until she arrived somewhere far away that no one could find her.

Toriel often wondered if it would be better to just become the riverwoman altogether, to just let this deafening silence take hold of her and cease to be. But that changed when she floated by a certain skeleton.

Sans had been on duty that day though it appeared that he was sleeping at his post. Typical for that lazy bones, Toriel decided to simply keep floating past him to keep from waking him. But suddenly, Sans awoke in an instant and said:

*Oh, hey Toriel.

Toriel remained silent but she couldn't help but look over at the skeleton that was now walking next to her as her boat continued to drift down the river-his footsteps echoing in the snow. How could he have seen through her disguise? It was perfect! Everything about this persona was different from her old self!

*hehehehe. I'm just foolin' ya.

*You see, Toriel, the queen, has gone missing. And no one has been able to find her.

*And I figured, instead of running around looking for her, I'd just call everyone Toriel until Toriel answered to it.

*Anyone who doesn't want to be found, won't be found, and anyone who does, will be pretty easy to spot.

*Which works for me because I'm not really built for running, you could say I barely have legs to stand on!

Toriel looked down at his legs and then at the water. As stupid and corny as the skeleton joke was was, the pun was like a ray of sunshine underneath this dark cowl, but she had to keep herself from chuckling at the joke. Toriel had to get rid of this skeleton before he found out that he really WAS talking to the queen. So she steered her boat to the side of the riverbank, extending its legs to keep it from drifting off without her and then stepped onto the land. Sans was quietly chuckling to himself the whole time, as Toriel slowly made her approach over to him, her spear dragging in the snow.

*Look buddy, just because you're bigger than me doesn't mean I'm afraid of you.

*After all it would take a lot...to get under my skin!

Toriel raised the spear up high and began to swing it down. It was all she could do to keep from laughing, she couldn't afford to be found. She would never go back to that monster. Sans, still smiling at his own comic genius hadn't moved an inch.

*Hey whats the matter?

*Don't you find my jokes humerus!?

The spear hit the corner of San's shoulder pinning him to a tree by the sleeve of his jacket. Toriel quickly turned around after this and a small sound resonated from her lips.

*hum...humhumhmmmhmmm...

It seemed that the only way for the Riverwoman's character to laugh and remain in character was to let out small hums. Sans, satisfied that he got the stoic river lady to laugh simply gave her a playful wink and remained where he was as Toriel got back on the boat and sailed away. However, just as she was almost out of earshot, Sans spoke to the riverwoman.

*Don't worry...Your secret is safe with me, If you don't want to be found then its none of my business to intrude but listen...

*If you can...please tell us when you're ready to be found. We're all gonna miss you...Toriel.

 **Flashback_2**


	10. Flashback2

Toriel's eyes fluttered awake as she felt her canoe gently tapped a large rock. It looked to be a piece of debris from the war that blocked off the rest of the river flow-In other words, it was the end of the line for Toriel.

Hazily she looked about her surroundings. This was it. All her life's work, everything she had built was quite literally in shambles all around her. This was the fate she had chosen. The weight of solitude crawled down her back as the revelation sunk in, but she shook those thoughts away and began to scout the area to find where she would make a new home. While she did this, memories flashed in her head of venturing through this place long ago, when the humans had first knocked the monsters into this prison. She remembered children crying and stumbling in the darkness, calling for their parents, calling for just a bit of light to show them the way home. She had been there at the very beginning, guiding as many monsters as she could to what would eventually be-

 **Home.**

There it was. In the distance, a desolate house that the monsters had once used as refuge. When the underground was a new place and there was no telling when the road would suddenly stop or give in, places like these were what kept the monsters from all dying out on their dark descent. As they became more established and the king was able to lead his people, they sent scouts to explore even more of this prison. Eventually they would find Snowdin and the Hotlands and expand away from this sad, dark place.

 _I saved countless monsters on the road to home. So...why...why couldn't I just save one...human, child...? I'm not the queen people think I am, the queen that they NEED. Just some cheap, subordinate slave to a coward!_

Her hands ignited with the flames of her emotion and she channeled it into a continuous stream powerful enough to melt stone. At first she was melding the stone to make it into a home, but the more she went on, the more she rounded the edges, left no room for windows. **She was building her tomb.** When she was satisfied with her dark cave like coffin she extinguished her flames and simply sat down, she couldn't help but openly weep as guilty words escaped through her gasps for air.

*Human...Child...Can you...hear me? I know that...we've done terrible things to you... But from the bottom of my heart I...how can words even describe how sorry I am to you? I know you were not really my child, but when I saw you standing before me...in that tattered sweater and eyes shimmering with potential...I saw a unique, and wonderful aspect of life that needed to be protected. It wasn't about mending relations with humans so that we could one day return to the surface or anything like that; only that a child, as beautiful as you could fall into this hell and still manage to fill my heart with love. I cared for you like my own...Because my own...My...My son...Asriel...

Asriel...

 **ASRIEL!**

It was then Toriel lost control of herself, consumed with the overflowing grief Toriel openly wept and screamed, blaming herself for her failures and simply wanting an end to it all. As she did this her hand brushed across the ground revealing a knife. Slowly, she wrapped her fingers around it. It was so light. It was so easy to hold right now. Bringing it up to her face, she ignited her other hand with flame to get a better look at it. It was just a toy. Her expression hollowed with an air of dissatisfaction, she was about to throw the thing until she realized what it was.

This was one of Chara's old toys.

*Chara...my child...hehe...I know you never liked me calling you that. I know that you always hated eating your vegetables. But you'd at least take them over snails right? Hahahaha...You never really seemed to like having someone look over you. You always argued and resisted authority but in that same breath you still would play and have fun with Asriel. Its possible that you never really liked me but...but that was okay! I loved you all the same. I could see that deep down, you were still a child, and one that had the capacity to love life more than anyone else. But...I could also see that something was troubling you. Something you never cared to reveal to us. And I accepted that and strove to make a better environment for you. I hope I gave you the best childhood I could. I hope I did the best for you. I miss you so much...Chara... I wish I could have helped you. I wish I could have known what was tearing away at you. Because through all of it...

I believe you were a good child.

That was the last thing she spoke out loud. Her cries dying down to soft whimpers until she eventually fell silent. Only the faint echo of her breath could be heard in the dark cave. It would be so easy...so easy to just lay down and die here. To let the darkness take her whole and give up on this life. And yet...when she looked at this knife...

*I...won't do it. Though continuing on may be hard, its what the others would want. I have to set a good example after all...

She faintly smiled and sent fire out in all directions creating small pockets of light for her to see around the cave. Clutching the knife with a new resolve, like the child was right beside her once again.

*Every human life is valuable and worth protecting so I...I will build a place to do that. To protect them from Asgore and if I can save even one human...that will be enough for me. You'll help me won't you? Chara...?

 **Rebuild Home.**


	11. Rebuild Home

"hnnnn!" Toriel groaned as she carried a single arm chair through the open doors of her home. The white carpeted floors of her house and illuminated walls made it seem like she was walking on sunlight itself which was helpful, but didn't change the fact that the chair was heavy! She quickly rounded the corner to a fully furnished living room and plopped the chair down right in front of the fireplace, giving it a few nudges this way and that until it was perfect. Then, with a sigh of relief, Toriel fell backwards into the chair herself a small smile growing on her face, it was finally done. What was once a cave fit for a family of bats was now a delightful paradise that the monster could call her home. She noted that the walls were a little bare, and there were still a lot of her things she hadn't gotten to bring with her before leaving, but the groundwork was at least done. How long had that been, a few days? Toriel hadn't seemed to notice being fueled by sheer determination to get the job done, but the work quickly took its toll the longer she sat down.

"Ahh...I haven't moved like that since I was a child myself- oh oh oh! My back!"

Cracking her spine, Toriel winced slightly at the pain and then recomposed herself.

"Well...Lets just say that this is the last time I'll take on a project like that on my own."

Letting her aching muscles and bones slowly be embraced by the old armchair, Toriel let a wave of tranquility wash over her that she had not felt in a long time. It was beautiful how peaceful it was now that Toriel had a decent place to live in, and no one around for miles to disturb her. All that was in the past could finally be left in the past as she started her life anew with this home to kick things off! But the longer she sat there, the more she began to wonder. What was to happen now? How was she going to start her life over? Let alone spend her time here? She didn't have any books to read, save for her journal she brought with her and for once she did not have anyone to take care of or rule over. No responsibilities. No worries. It was strange for Toriel, strange enough to keep her from sitting in the chair for very long.

Raising back to her feet she stepped outside of the home, the silence of the morning was as beautiful as could be. Birds chirping, gusts faintly blowing and...ribbits? Her eyebrow cocked up as she heard the sound of a frog ribbiting in the distance, until her eyes spotted the source of the noise. A tiny frog monster seemed to have found Toriel's home and was slowly approaching her. She welcomed the frog warily.

*Oh? Could it be that you are here to welcome me to the neighborhood little frog? It must seem strange that a structure like this would appear from nowhere. I haven't intruded on your home have I!?

Toriel said the last bit with worry but the frog simply looked idly at Toriel. It had no idea what she was saying but felt that Toriel was polite anyway.

"Ribbit. Ribbit." (You seem to be a polite monster. My family and I saw your boat come in a few weeks ago but refrained from approaching you until the sounds died down. Welcome to the Ruins.)

Toriel was slightly shocked at the level of intelligence coming from this small frog. From what it sounded like there were a few other frogs living in this area as well and this must be the leader, attempting to make peace with Toriel for both of their sakes. Did this mean they did not recognize who Toriel was?

*You are most gracious kind frog. But...I have to ask...Do you know who I am?

"Ribbit" (I have not had the pleasure, my name is Froggit, as are my wife's name and my four children.)

She smiled at hearing this. After going so long without any monster interaction it was wonderful to have a pleasant conversation with a stranger. Toriel really would get to make her fresh start here after all. Behind Froggit, Toriel could see a few other frogs looming in this distance. They seemed determined to make sure Toriel was a friend before making their approach.

*Words cannot express how grateful I am to meet all of you. My name is Toriel and I mean you all no harm. If you would like, please come inside! I could whip up some pie and we could get to know each other better.

"Ribbit. Ribribit." (On behalf of the froggits we thank you for the offer but respectfully decline. Our amphibious bodies harbor secretions that would damage your home. However, if you plan to live here, there are a few things you should know.)

*Oh? And what would that be?

"Ribbit Ribit Riiiibribit" (Along with my family the whimsun family reside among the autumn leaves. They are a shy and delicate monster. Please refrain from stepping on the leaves and, should you encounter one, please show them mercy. They mean you no harm. If you need help gathering food, you can meet us every morning at the pond to catch flies. There is a special technique to get them to come out that we can show you. Finally, while the vegatoids may seem frightening at first glance, do not fear them as they mean you no harm and their green vegetables are simply divine. We welcome you to the ruins, Toriel please seek us out if you need any assistance.)

With that the Frog nodded its head and hopped away to go be with the rest of its family who all hopped away back to the river. She was not ready to try eating flies just yet but the need for food was very real and she was more than grateful that the Froggit family accepted Toriel into their community so easily. Armed with this knowledge, Toriel would spend the next few weeks learning the lay of the land, becoming closer with its inhabitants and building a living for herself in this new secluded paradise.

 **But what does F4 stand for?**


	12. What does 4 frogs stand for?

_-6 months later-_

 _Why did the skeleton run up a tree?_

 _Because a dog was after his bones!_

 _What did the thousand year old skeleton complain of?_

 _Aching bones!_

 _Why did the skeleton go disco dancing?_

 _To see the boogy man!_

 _What happened to the lazy skeleton?_

 _He was bone idle!_

Toriel couldn't contain her laughter as she penned in the final joke. Leaning back and giggling heartily her pen rolled off of the table and onto the ground as she smacked the table a few times for mercy. She was a comic genius. She couldn't even handle flipping through the other numerous pages that the journal now held and quickly closed it to try and recompose herself. She had originally brought this journal to log her adventures into the wilderness, and other darker reasons but now that she had become established and respected in the community of the ruins, Toriel found that the only real useful application left was to jot down more jokes whenever they popped into her head. It was a past time of hers that she recently adopted to handle the separation of her old life and her new life and it was all thanks to that skeleton she met by the river.

Toriel had never seen that skeleton before, but in many ways the skeleton looked much like W.D. Gaster, the kingdoms late royal scientist and Toriel theorized that this was because they were somehow related. Both skeletons had a keen way of seeing the world and events of history for what they truly were, but respected them enough not to interfere. It was that insightful nature that made Toriel respect Gaster and, by association, Sans. If she had never started writing jokes like she was now, she imagined that it would have been much harder for her to continue living on as she did. In that sense, did Toriel owe something to that skeleton? His words still echoed in the back of her mind.

 _*If you can...please tell us when you're ready to be found. We're all gonna miss you...Toriel._

Would there ever be a time where Toriel could go back? It seemed so unlikely at this point-Asgore had made it quite clear that he could not be trusted. But by turning her back on Asgore, she turned her back on everyone...Was that really fair to them? Maybe it would be good of Toriel to find out what was going on back at the kingdom...But how? She decided to take a walk to ponder on the answer to this question.

Leaving her home, Toriel's footsteps echoed softly on the stone ground beneath her feet, all that could be heard was the sounds of the wind howling from the hole above them. She walked down her usual route, making sure to avoid the piles of leaves as she went until she made it to the entrance of the ruins, a dark dirty chamber with nothing special to note that was...until Toriel heard a scream.

"Kyaaaaaaaaah!"

Toriel's head snapped up to see what appeared to be a human falling down to the underground. She moved without thinking and opened her arms to catch the child. She braced herself for the pain, knowing that the kid had probably reached terminal velocity by how high the fall was, and yet, as she landed in Toriel's arms she barely strained Toriel's muscles at all. This may have been in part due to Toriel's boss monster stats, but also, just in general the child was very thin. Looking her over, Toriel identified that it was a female human as thin as bones with a lone ribbon dangling from her hair.

The monster was at a loss for words as she held the child in her arms, she too, seemed to taking a while to figure out what had just happened, the child squirmed slightly and then turned to face Toriel. She was the picture of innocence, her porcelain white skin further emphasized by her oval eyes, shining emerald green. She had nothing with her but the ragged clothes on her back-a faded pink dress and hiking boots fastened tightly to her tiny shoes. Everything about this girl was...small.

Another beat passed, the human finally took in the fact there was a giant monster holding her and screamed again which also caused Toriel to scream. The human squirmed in Toriel's arms and slipped from her grasp causing both of them to fall to the floor. The human quickly scampered away from the creature to the corner of the room, attempting to hide from Toriel.

Slowly, Toriel rose back to her feet. She could see the human peering from the darkness, afraid, helpless and facing an enemy it had never seen before. She pitied the creature, but in that child she saw hope. Hope that she could finally do some good for this world...and protect the human from Asgore. Maybe, if the human never ended up making it to Asgore, he would get tired of waiting and end this insane plot. She also couldn't help but think of Chara and the promise she had made to that child when she rebuilt her home.

Thinking this, Toriel took a step forward to the human kneeling down to her level.

*Hello human child, please, do not be afraid. My name is Toriel and I mean you no harm.

"...Am I dreaming...? Did that fall actually...finally...?" The human uttered quietly, its gaze hazy and uncertain.

*No my child, you are perfectly safe, I was able to catch you when you fell from the top of .

"...Oh..." The child hugged its knees remaining where it was. It was evident that the childs strength was draining fast.

*You don't look well my child, please, let me take care of you. No harm shall befall you as long as you come with me...

Toriel began to take several steps closer to the human, reaching out to her with a kind and reassuring expression. She was almost able to touch the human when the girl quickly reacted and swatted away Toriel's hand

"I...Don't want to be taken care of anymore!" And with that she got up and ran past Toriel heading deeper into the ruins. Toriel, worried for the human's safety followed swiftly behind her...


	13. Follow Human

This was all happening too fast. To see a human after all this time, and for it to be one just as sick and in pain, if not more so, than Chara only filled Toriel with worry. She was fast too, darting just far enough ahead to keep Toriel from catching her and that was what worried Toriel most of all. Where did this girl have all this energy?

 _She was so light..._

The thought haunted Toriel, who was already assuming the worse. The Legend of still exists after all...

 _No! I can't think about that. The barrier is in effect so nothing that drove the human to this point can get them now. I have to be the one to tell her..! I can't let her..._

She focused on the sounds of her feet clambering against the concrete as she continued to chase after the child. Every now and then her pained breathes escaped into audible gasps. Until they made it to a dead end. The bridge that Toriel used earlier...was covered in spikes. The human stood at the edge of the bridge panting while Toriel came to a stop making sure to give the human plenty of distance. She spoke softly in an attempt to calm the human down.

*Innocent one, please stop this. I don't know what happened up there but hear me when I say...that nothing can hurt you now! I just...Just LET ME HELP YOU!

She couldn't help but bark the last of her sentence out, old wounds dug deep as she saw the spitting image of Chara before her. The child was motionless as they looked over the sea of spikes and then slowly turned their head to look at Toriel speaking in a slow melancholic manner.

"...Nothing? So you mean...I can do this...?"

She raised her foot up and slammed it down hard against the spike. Toriel raised a hand to her mouth in horror as she saw the child do this. Blood spurted out violently from her foot, and the girl let out a gasp of pain but remained still, staring at it like she saw nothing there as though she was confused by the pain.

"You see? I was never afraid of being hurt, not physically...This doesn't compare at all to what humans do to each other emotionally.

She took her other foot, placing it slightly ahead of the first and then slammed it down on a fresh spike. It was stained instantly with red blood. This time she cried out in pain, but did not cease her venture forward. Toriel trembled with fear at the sigh of the child's determination and frantically looked for some kind of switch that would turn off the spikes all the while hearing the girl saw what she was hoping to be her last words.

"They all thought I was crying for help for myself. They all thought that I was being the childish one. Its because I'm a girl right? Because I'm cute and irrational am too young to understand the world right?

 _Splash. Stomp. Stomp._

"Do you see...? I am strong enough to handle it. I'm not a little girl I'm...human! If you would just talk to me for once...You'd see that I wasn't trying to help myself, I...I gave everything just to get you people to be apart of my life..! I hoped that if you saw how miserable you were making all of us...everything would go back to normal..."

If they were in a FIGHT Toriel could have just used her magic to move the child off the spikes, but without a way to ACT, Toriel could only watch the human do this to themselves. There was a chance that she could initiate a FIGHT if she threw a fireball at the child but...But what if she didn't have the HP to withstand it?

 _Stomp. Rip. Tear. Splash._

"Whenever humans gather together...they only seek to hurt, or use one another. This is the conclusion I've made. And if I have nothing to look forward to but a long road of work just to get the people I care about to come together...Then I just don't see the point. "

Toriel had went to the hall from where they came from, quickly throwing the switches.

 _Click!_

Something happened! Toriel rushed back to see if the spikes were down. They weren't exactly, however, the one the child was standing on, had retracted into the ground. It seemed that there was a certain path to take that would keep oneself from standing on the spikes and judging from the trail of blood the child was leaving behind, the path was not to simply go straight. There had to be some kind of clue...!

"Is it so hard to ask for people to genuinely love one another? Why is it all so fake? I realize now that taking on this 'cute girl' personality wasn't the way to get people to care about me. It was just a way to become idolized...Idolized and...abused... But...why...why was it...so hard...?"

She had made it to the other side of the spikes, by now, the color had drained from her face and she was all but mumbling to herself. Toriel pieced together the puzzle while seeing the path of blood on the spikes. The white on the floor was unstained, that was the part to walk on! It had been there in the room before too! Carefully, Toriel took her first step on the spike that should go down and found that it retracted away from her foot. Now that her theory was confirmed, she raced ahead to try and stop the girl but she was too late...

The girl had lost too much blood and drive to live and simply fell over, her body drilled with holes from the spikes sprayed blood in a thick mist.

*...haaaa...aaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Toriel's scream echoed through the chamber at the sight of the child falling. Over and over the thought played in her mind.

 _This was the second child I couldn't save. This was the second child I couldn't save. This was the second child I couldn't save. This was the second child I couldn't save. This was the second child I couldn't save. This was the second child I couldn't save. This was the second child I couldn't save. This was the second child I couldn't was the second child I couldn't was the second child I couldn't was the second child I couldn't was the second child I couldn't was the second child I couldn't was the second child I couldn't was the second child I couldn't was the second child I couldn't was the second child I couldn't was the second child I couldn't was the second child I couldn't was the second child I couldn't save._

Every time she blinked her eyes she saw Chara impaled in the same way this child was. Slamming her hands into the ground she shook the ruins with magnitude of her emotion. This child did not deserve this! No human deserved this amount of pain! To be driven to this point! There were so many wonderful things she wanted to show this girl about life, so many things she wanted to say to help her and maybe one day, they would be able to face the demons clinging to her heart together. She could have been anything, see everything, be with anyone she wanted but because certain humans were self-centered and unable to create an environment suitable for a budding new life...It was extinguished before it had a chance to begin.

She couldn't bring herself to look at the child any longer, but she also knew that the human would not want to be left in this sad state. She at least deserved a proper burial. Summoning up what little strength she had left, Toriel walked past the human and deeper in the ruins to get some tools to help life her out of the spikes. But when she came back a few minutes later she would find that every trace of the human was gone. And then a few days later a few Froggits were gossiping...apparently, Asgore had gotten his first human soul, and a skeleton had helped him do it.


	14. Dark yet Darker

6 months later

 _Waiting..._

 _Waiting..._

 _A hand reaches out to the horizon, its human fingers grasping at that distant dream._

 _There was a man, his features lost like a smeared water color painting but...I could feel it looking at me._

 _Looking at me..._

 _It hurts..._

 _It hurts..._

 _Things get red when I look at the man so I turn away._

 _Waiting..._

 _Waiting..._

 _He's right behind me. Even still he's...Breathing...down my neck._

 _Why is he like this now?_

 _I turn around to look at him._

 _Our hands, wrapping around each others throats._

 _Waiting..._

...!

Toriel awoke in cold sweat from her arm chair. The night was dark and its implications...even darker. Her weary eyes hazily surveyed the room. She hadn't been sleeping well since the human's short arrival to the underground. She hated Asgore, hated him more than anything not because of what he was doing but because he would still continue on with his plan while his wife, the love of his life was out here waiting for the idiot to come to his senses and take her home.

Waiting...

The thought disturbed Toriel so she rose to her feet, maybe she could walk off these feelings of uneasiness. Her feet seemed to move on their own as she walked down to the basement of her home. It was safer than walking around at night. She had heard the rumors from the froggits. Every so often they would hop back talking among one another. They say Asgore only needs one more soul. That in his blind quest for power, he only has to slay one more innocent to get the chance to kill hundreds of thousands of humans. She had also heard the rumors that the core had overheated and that the royal scientist, W.D. Gaster, was no more. But somewhere down the line, Toriel had stopped caring. Really and truly no longer caring for the world outside her home. There was this glint in her eye of something vicious, something that sought justice in anyway possible.

Did she blame herself for not doing anything to stop Asgore? Did she become someone that was too weak to stand up for herself? No...she didn't think so. Only that she was doing the one thing she knew how to do best of all.

Wait.

As she walked things seemed to get even darker, the walls had a distinct purple shade even at night and yet, right now, she couldn't see them. It was just a pitch black hallway. And then...she heard a voice from the far end of the darkness.

ENTRY NUMBER SEVENTEEN

DARK DARKER YET DARKER

THE DARKNESS KEEPS GROWING

She hadn't seen it at first but the farther into the darkness she walked the more apparent the source of this voice became. A monster, or rather, a ghost pretending to be a monster. Toriel recognized its features as Gaster almost immediately but something seemed very different. Like he was one with this darkness, bits and pieces of him seemed to swirl around like vapor, it seemed he was having a hard time maintaining this form. She came to stop as fear slowly crept up her spine. Was this...the skeleton that Asgore was using to collect souls?

THE SHADOWS CUTTING DEEPERPHOTON READINGS NEGATIVE

*!

On the other side of Gaster another skeleton appeared, this one however did not seem to know what was going on. Toriel couldn't bring herself to walk any closer to the frightening aberration before her but even from here she could tell. That skeleton was the same one she had met at the river all those years ago. Gaster must have...somehow...gotten these two together...

THIS NEXT EXPERIMENT SEEMS

VERY VERY INTERESTING

...WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK?

*I thought I told you...I'm not your puppet anymore.

She could barely hear the skeleton say those words before Gaster's expression changed with delight and then faded into the darkness. With Gaster gone, Toriel had a clear shot at Sans, who seemed to close his eyes with remorse, his voice was still muffled by the darkness they were surrounded in.

*Toriel...I'm sorry.

And before she could even blink Toriel again woke up from the armchair in her home. This time, the sun was shining and morning was upon her. Her mind was swimming with questions. How had Gaster done any of those things? What did he mean by "experiment"? Why was that other skeleton there? Why was he sorry? Again she found her feet moving on their own as she headed back to the hallway. This time however, everything was normal, there was no trace of Gaster or that other skeleton's appearance. That was...until she heard a voice from the other side of the door.

*Knock knock!

Her heart skipped a beat, like hearing a voice from the dead, Toriel knew it was that skeleton again. And judging by his inflection he was telling a knock knock joke to anyone that could hear it. Those jokes that had so long ago kept Toriel from falling into madness, the source of it all was on the other side of this door. So instead of bursting out to the skeleton to ask a million questions about last night, Toriel simply went along with it. After all, right now, these jokes were the only thing that made sense in this cruel and strange world.

*Who is it?

*...!

*dishes.

*Dishes who?

*Dishes a very bad joke

And she howled with laughter, like it was the best joke she heard in a thousand years. Because it was.

Later on, Frisk would appear in the underground and change the fate of the underground forever. Toriel was the one who was exposed to the most resets out of any other monster underground since she was the first one Frisk met. And each time the reset happened, Toriel would always wake up the same, by seeing an image of Gaster in the blackness of her mind. That was when the suspicion started. The suspicion that perhaps Gaster, and even the river skeleton had been apart of Asgore's plot. After the third pacifist run that Frisk went through, Toriel had actually remembered bits and pieces of previous runs and finally asked Sans about it while Frisk was saying good bye to the denizens of the underground.

When Sans heard her questions, it was like time froze. Although his expression didn't change you could tell he felt the weight of Toriel's questions on his shoulders. Was it you and Gaster that helped Asgore collect the souls? Why does it seem like nothing is changing? What was really going to happen to them now that the barrier was broken? Making up an excuse, Sans teleported himself and Toriel away from the others to talk although Sans was hesitant to say anything.

*...

*Sans...Please tell me.

*Toriel, look it isn't that easy to explain. If you keep asking these questions...

*Sans! I can't take it anymore! If there is something you're hiding from me I need to know! I...I've waited too long to hear that someone as kind as you...betrayed me.

*...

And after a long pause, Sans told Toriel everything. About the resets, about the genocide and about how many times Sans had seen Toriel die. It broke Toriel's heart. Not only had the one monster in the world killed the innocents she wanted to protect, but she had failed to help the human from doing something so misguided as killing other monsters to increase their LOVE. She couldn't help but be upset, to shout at Sans and threaten to never speak to him again. Even now she remembered his face as she screamed at the skeleton. It was a face that was just getting further squeezed by the pressure of this child's sins. One that hated with every ounce of their body that they were losing a friend over this, but accepting it as part of their reality. Sans...was a really strong monster.

As Frisk continued to reset the world in their vein attempt to right their wrong, Toriel vehemently rejected Sans claims and lost herself to the endless looping world. But the resets piled up, again and again she saw the human do the same moves and the same interactions. And she was remembering more and more each time until finally she realized that she was doing it again.

She was left in the dark... **waiting**.

So this time, when the human left the ruins, Toriel quickly followed after them, darting to a nearby brush she saw Sans lying in wait and simply walked behind him, placing her hand on his shoulder. She wasn't ready to forgive him, but she was ready to work with him. If what he said was true and he had been working through each reset to get to through to Frisk, then it was Toriel's duty to help. But looking at him now...she could only feel sorry for the skeleton...


	15. End Flashback

But that was then, and this was now. The weight of everything hadn't broken Toriel, at least not yet but...it had clearly taken its toll. Sans and Gaster's involvement with the demise of the human souls, Asgore's betrayal, Frisk's betrayal-If it was anyone else they would most likely give up right then and there. You could see it in her eyes. She wanted to give up too. But she refused that wish.

Frisk sensed the tension between the two, and with themselves and prayed for someone to say something, ANYTHING to make this all stop. They had been doing puns earlier right? Maybe that would help? Frisk opened their mouth to speak, but Toriel quickly shut them down.

*Do not speak tainted one. I...have not forgiven you yet either.

*99. That was the number of..."timelines" as Sans calls it, to understand that you were not coming back. That the innocent child I once knew, was lost to an endless loop of self-pity. I always welcomed you with open arms, to stop all this-even though I may not have realized it at first but never once did you stop. And I have no choice but to finally believe him. Believe that you...

Her hand rested briefly on her heart. Frisk's guilt traced the part of her heart that they had cut so many times. But how? How was this possible? Yes, Frisk had performed the genocide on the underground once, but, the way Toriel was describing it was like they had done it more than once. That there was a loop of genocides going on in the underground. Frisk certainly did not remember clearing 99 runs. That kind of time seemed impossible for one human lifespan. Sans finally spoke up, his back still slouched over the bar while the last ketchup bottle rolled away from him.

*Do you get it kid? You've reset so many times now that your resets are resetting. You've messed with the timeline to a point that it attempted to correct itself by accepting an anomaly as an actuality. Right now, I bet there are hundreds of Frisks out there in alternate worlds making choices and working hard without knowing in the end how pointless it is.

*In other words, for every one kid that does the right thing and gets outta the underground there are three that kill everyone. Chara played you for a fool so naturally they are able to play those Frisk's for fools too.

Frisk's heart stopped. Learning that Frisk's determination to fix things had only made things worse was the final nail in Frisk's coffin. They were a disgusting waste of space that did not deserve this life, or these friends. Because of how selfish Frisk had been, they had unleashed a horror onto the underground that was now out of control. And it had Frisk's face. A feeling of absolute defeat Frisk got up from the table unable to look either monster in the eye and instead faced the door. Toriel's ears twitched at the sound of Chara's name, her hands slamming on the table to look at Sans.

*Don't you DARE speak of Chara like they are some DEMON! Chara will always be my-

She bit her tongue before speaking further. She knew what Chara had done as well. But that was why it hurt so much more. Frisk and Chara were both so similar in their misguided attempts at coping with adolescence that to speak ill of one was to speak for both. And despite all the heartache, Toriel still cared for the children deeply. Sans put up his hands and didn't push it further. If anything he was just glad Tori was talking to him again.

*Sorry, sorry, I know what you mean. I'll leave it at that.

*Let me just get to the point here Frisk. I think I know how to undo all the damage you've done. But it won't come easy.

Toriel's expression softened as she realized what Sans was getting to. Again Frisk felt that uncomfortable tension between the three of them. Frisk stayed where they were, feeling the monsters pitiful gazes crawling down their back. There was some kind of way to fix this that would probably cause Frisk a lot of pain and...even despite what Frisk had done, they were still worried about Frisk's well-being. This...was what true friendship was. Frisk was willing to do anything at this point. Knowing that it was their doing that caused all this pain to the people they cared about filled Frisk with determination to make things right. Even if it meant giving their lives. Sans closed his eyes and practically sighed out his question.

*...Kid, Do you know where boss monsters come from?

Silence. Frisk's mind, already on overdrive upon understanding just what they had done was trying to figure out how knowing where boss monsters come from would be able to save them.

*Well, when a mommy monster and a daddy monster love each other very much they meet at a club one night and-

*SANS!

Sans winks and shrugs his shoulders in his signature style

*Never mind! I will educate the human since you are unable!

Tears streaming down Frisk's face, Frisk looks to Toriel over their shoulder, Toriel did not offer a gaze of sympathy back.

 _...As it should be..._

 _*_ Monsters are made up of magic. You understand at least this correct? So a boss monster would have to be a monster made up of more magic correct?

Frisk nodded their head and turned to face Toriel, rubbing the tears from their eyes.

*This is the misconception that keeps creatures like us alive. Didn't you notice how normal monsters seemed more two-dimensional whereas boss monsters have more personality? This is because magic is only as powerful as those that believe in it. There is no well of mana hidden in the world, nor is there some kind of stream that coats the planet in its energy. Magic, is fueled off of human emotion. Human...determination.

*Monsters are simply human dreams that seem real enough to a person to become reality. Sometimes its an aspect or goal of a human's life, other times its just an intense feeling. Snowdrake for example, was most likely based off of a human who wanted to be a comedian but never was able to due to the critique of their parents. Maybe that human gave up on the dream of being a comic, but the dream never died-it became a monster in order to stay alive. In other words, out of the hundreds of thoughts humans have everyday, half of those have the potential to become monsters.

*So a boss monster then, is an emotion or feeling that is so strong that it carries much of a human's or several humans essences with them to become a "SOUL". An idea or concept that would make a normal human feel dead inside without. The shape and power of the boss monster is determined off of how important or vast that emotion was. This is why monsters are able to take human souls...its a journey to return to who they really are.

Frisk's mind went back to the books they read in the Snowdin Libraby

 _"Love, hope, compassion... This is what people say monster SOULs are made of. But the absolute nature of "SOUL" is unknown. After all, humans have proven their SOULs don't need these things to exist."_

*Boss monsters acquire power differently than monsters or humans do. Where humans increase their LOVE at the cost of the Love, and monsters gain power by simply remaining alive, boss monsters acquire power by acting and getting closer to the human that created them. Of course they generally start with better stats than regular monsters and base humans, if they do not constantly keep training, then the human is able to catch up to them in terms of power and destroy them.

Frisk blinked as they mulled this all over. It made sense in theory, it also explained why the monsters were not able to defeat a single human during the war. Without their love, hope or compassion there was more room for ATK DEF LV and other stats to destroy monsters with. It also showed why monsters had similar traits and customs to those of humans, without knowing why they had those traits. But what did it have to do with Frisk?

*Life should always be cherished young one. It can create such magical and wondrous things that make life worth living...however...in your case...

*We need you to become a Boss monster.

Sans cuts in at the end looking to Frisk with that same broken smile.

*Thats the gist of our plan Frisk. If you surrender your humanity there is a chance that we can stop the countless Frisk's out there from doing anymore harm. But before you start thinking thats an easy thing to do, let me explain.

*Monsters are weak compared to humans and boss monsters are only a little bit stronger than monsters, this is common knowledge. However, boss monsters can take human SOULS to become stronger. Since this world keeps resetting with each new Frisk, we'd need you to wait for each Frisk to appear and...

*Take their soul.

Sans took a step closer to Frisk to make sure they understood what that meant, forcing Frisk took a step back. The very idea was haunting because it meant in essence, not only would Frisk have to kill themselves, they'd have to do it countless times to stop all the Frisks. If there are so many worlds already made by Frisk's foolishness...How long would Frisk have to fight other Frisks?

*Do you remember when you fought Asriel? Your determination had gotten to a point that you could DREAM and hold onto that DREAM? That's what you'll use to change from human to boss monster.

*By dreaming of a monster that could one day stop you, your feelings would eventually spawn a monster in the underground that would hopefully have your resolve to save the underground. With any luck, your monster will harvest the souls of Frisk each time the world resets and...you'll...

Toriel trailed off after that but Frisk understood what she meant. Each time a Frisk was destroyed so too would part of the human Frisk.

*"It would take a long time. You're looking at doing 10 more timelines where you save all of us, just to store all the dreams you get from Asriel and use at once. And then the monster you create would have to wait for about **2,398* timelines** to make sure all the Frisks were taken care of." Sans added.

What Sans was proposing was insurmountable for the human. For it meant that this game...would have to be cleared 2,408 times to right Frisk's wrongs. And that was if they started today. Sure Frisk had opted to fall down Mt. Ebott long ago to give away their life, and this was surely the most noble of causes to dedicate their life too but...Frisk wanted to be with the monsters. That was what had started all this in the first place. If Frisk did this then...they would cease to exist. No more puzzles, no more puns, no more training, no more dance offs, no chance to be a sibling figure for a certain flower, no more mother, no more father. No more anything.

Frisk shook their head, those kind of selfish thoughts were what got Frisk here in the first place. It was time for them to own up to their actions. Although nothing could equate to taking a life aside from another life, if Frisk was able to destroy themselves in every timeline...then at least each monster they had slain could be met with a human life. Frisk always knew the day would come where they would have to say goodbye, ever since they saw the pacifist ending for the first time. And it seemed that the time was now. But Frisk shook all over, the very idea scared the human to their core.

Toriel took a step forward, and knelt down in front of Frisk, bringing them in for a hug her voice was quivering with sorrow.

*I wish there was another way my child. I'm no better than Asgore for endorsing this plan and I do truly believe yours and all human life is worth cherishing. But sometimes, life is cruel, life is unfair, and I hope that when you dream, you dream with every ounce of your body to create a monster that is not only capable of harvesting human souls-but SPARING those that do not deserve death. Show them the weight of your sacrifice and maybe one day...humans and monsters alike will finally understand life's value...and live together..!

Frisk wrapped their arms around Toriel, letting the tears fall from their face. This was it. Frisk was going to do it. Frisk was going to orchestrate their death to save the underground. Hearing what Toriel had said about boss monsters, about how every bit of a boss monster was a part of a human soul and their struggles. It made them realize that this was something Frisk needed to do for the greater good. To help every human understand that dreams can never die and that life is as beautiful as it is wild. That all life should be protected until they surrender every last part of their SOUL. While the two wept Sans made his way to the door, standing just before it.

*Frisk. I know how hard it must be to make this kind of choice. I'd probably become a skeleton myself if I was a human that had to wait that long to die. I've seen so many timelines its hard to sort out which ones are you and which ones are not but I am pretty sure that...the real Frisk...would make the right choice here. So...after you get the dreams. Meet me in my lab. We can say our goodbyes there.

Frisk looked to Sans over Toriel's shoulder and nodded, and tried to escape her grasp but could not. She was holding on to Frisk with everything she had.

*Frisk, I will always love you like one of my own...! In another world, I hope that one day I can be a mother to a child as good-hearted as you..! Please...Please don't resent life for forcing you into this choice. Because I'm certain we'll meet again and at that time...! At that time...!

*Hey...Tori come on, give the kid a break, they've got a bunch of work to do, and so do we. Once Frisk gets the dreams we'll get to say goodbye.

Sniveling Toriel finally lets go of the human and pats them on the head.

*I...I suppose you are right.

She heads towards Sans leaving Frisk alone in the bar.

*I know you'll make the right choice.

It was the last thing Sans said before Toriel and himself disappeared. Although it seemed scary, and Frisk was doing this alone, they knew they wouldn't be alone for long. That by doing this they could finally right their wrongs. Frisk had squandered their life away, but the monster Frisk would create...It would be one that would surely understand the value of life. It would make up for the sins Frisk had committed. That was probably the greatest thing Frisk could do in their lifetime. So they did reset and start another pacifist run, making sure to clear their inventory before the Asriel fight to save all the DREAMS they could and then use them after Asriel was defeated.


	16. The Lab

Shivers went down Toriel's spine as Sans and herself headed for the lab. She had never been teleported with Sans before and the feeling was far too exciting for her old bones-It was quite literally like being one with the wind. She noticed how Sans didn't seem to mind, but then again maybe that was why he wore that big coat all the time. Toriel chuckled at this thought and then walked with Sans through the door to the lab, the dusty air made Toriel's nose scrunch up in disapproval. Sans made his way to the light switch and flicked it on, the harshness of its luminescence made Toriel squint her eyes until they adjusted and took in all that the lab had to offer.

"This is your lab Sans?"

"Yeah, but I like to call it the _bone_ doggle zone. My bro is pretty good at knowing stuff without really knowing stuff. I admire it. Anyway, let me give you the tour. Over there you can see most of the floor and above us is the ceiling. But what you really want to see is over here. Give me a sec."

Toriel giggled after realizing the word pun while Sans walked to the back of the lab and began to dig around in one of the drawers. It seemed like a pretty small drawer that wouldn't take much time to search and yet, Sans seemed to be taking his time rummaging his hand through the drawer, feeling for something. Eventually he put both hands in and focused solely on digging through the drawer. Toriel decided to take a quick look around while Sans did this and the first thing she noticed was the blueprints spread across the table.

"Oh! These look like they belonged to Gaster! Such a complex device...! He really was an intellect above our own. It was tragic to lose him on that day..."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure this was one of his old labs too, but I figured he didn't need it anymore so I could use it. They definitely go to that machine over there, but the thing was broken when I got here so I just salvage it for parts."

Toriel looked from the blueprints to the machine Sans was pointing at. It was sitting in the corner of the room with a large tarp over it, just gathering dust. She walked over and confirmed that the blueprints matched the machines design...to some extent anyway, Sans wasn't kidding when he said he had taken parts from it, the thing was beyond repair now. Though looking at it made Toriel feel uneasy, as though the late scientists presence was still lingering inside the machine. Even in this futuristic looking room, the machine seemed out of place.

Leaving the machine alone, Toriel returned to looking around the lab, occasionally glancing at Sans who was still digging through the drawer. Although she told herself she probably shouldn't snoop, she couldn't help but be interested in Sans' work. He had never struck her as the scientific kind of skeleton but just looking through some of the books and journals in the lab suggested otherwise. He must have had a vast understanding on quantum physics in particular, even going so far as to find plans for a self-sustaining tornado. Sans had spent all this time working towards bettering himself, gaining new powers and understandings of this world with all of these resets, and yet, Toriel had done nothing of the sort but continue to be played as a fool. How long had this skeleton waited to get to this moment? Her movements suddenly stopped when her hand brushed over a picture in the drawer which she pulled out to examine more closely.

"Oh! Did the human draw this Sans? I don't recognize these humans..."

Sans didn't even have to look to know what Toriel was talking about and yet, something about it bothered him. In her hands Toriel held a crudely drawn picture of three people smiling. On the top of the photo it read 'don't forget'.

"Don't forget? Don't forget what? Who are these people?"

"Ah don't worry about it. Just some kids who got in way over their head."

Toriel looked at the picture perplexedly and then back to Sans, not wanting to pry into Sans private matters. They didn't look like children, at least any that Toriel had seen before and no human aside from children had been in the underground after the barrier was created so...just who were these people, and why did Sans need to remember them?

"Forgive me, if I'm being rude Sans but...these humans look...older? How is this possible Sans? No human would dare let themselves be trapped in the barrier after the war...Would they?"

Sans stopped what he was doing, a hollowed expression washed over his face as he turned to look at Toriel.

 **"Trust me. There are some things you REALLY do not want to know."**

"S-sans?"

"Like I said, don't worry about it, come over here and help me with this will ya?"

"Don't brush over this like I'm some ignorant child. I know it took a lot longer for me to realize the resets than it did for you. It must have been horribly lonely waiting for someone to open their eyes to all this. But...I'm here now, aren't I? Aren't we partners in this?"

Sans let go of the drawer and turned around to face Toriel, thrusting his hands into his pockets

"Believe me, I was thrilled to finally get you as a friend; no one else appreciates a good joke as good as you do. But I'm doing this to save us all, not to shove my burdens onto someone else. Until I know for certain that we've fixed this mess that kid started I can't worry about that picture."

"I apologize Sans. It wasn't my place to ask about these things. Its just...seeing all this, and knowing that you spent so long to accumulate it all...I get the feeling there is still a lot you are not telling me."

"I hear ya, and maybe one day I could elaborate a little more on that when this is all over but for now...help me out with this."

Sans again motioned to the drawer, but he wouldn't start until he got Toriel's confirmation. Toriel on the other hand, decided to drop the subject of the photo, putting it back in the drawer and then moving over to help Sans. If she earned San's trust surely then she could learn the truth about the skeleton but for now, she would settle for just being his friend, after all she owed a great deal to Sans.

Sans reached into the drawer and pulled out a colored rope and handed it to Toriel.

"Here, pull on this."

Toriel, confused as ever hesitantly took the rope and then began to pull on it. Her innate strength made it easy to pull and yet, the more she did it the more string that came out. It was as though the string was never-ending. She looked to Sans for some kind of answer but he just stood there as plain as ever, waiting for her to pull the string out. Faster and faster Toriel tugged on the colored rope, yanking at it with ferocious vigor. Sans checked his non-existent watch and then looked back to Toriel, still waiting. Determined to get to the bottom of this, Toriel kept pulling at the string, her eyes wincing from the amount of energy she was putting out just to get at this rope.

Longer...Longer...Yet even LONGER

Finally, there was something on the other end, Toriel desperate for results grabbed at the end of the rope and looked at it in her hands. It appeared to be a fishing line with a small note that read:

 _Hey! Call me!_

Underneath that was a phone number and a picture of a weird looking monster and then, very faintly, almost unaudible, Toriel heard a trumpet playing an incidental tune. Disgusted and un-amused Toriel let the note fall to the ground and turned to Sans who was stifling a chuckle, but next to him was a large pod that she had not seen before.

"Did you hear that? Musta been a bird or something. Anyway, here is what I wanted to show you." Sans said trying to play it off.

Toriel's eyes narrowed as she looked at Sans knowing that she had been played a fool but then turned to look at the pod and was instantly shocked by its contents.

"That's-"

"The human's boss monster. Correct."

In the pod was a pile of bones.


	17. The real monster

A tiny pile of bones lay at the bottom of the pod and while Toriel looked on in confusion, Sans held a smug grin as he lightly patted the glass.

*This...is what is going to save us? Sans I don't understand...Its just a pile of bones!

*oh man, I didn't even notice. Must be pretty bad to be made out of only bone.

*Well- Ah- I'm sure there are exceptions to the idea b-but right now all I see is a pile of bones!

*Heh, yeah I know what you mean. Right now, the kid is lookin' pretty lazy but I can assure you, they already worked me to the bone.

*What do you mean?

*I had a feeling that if the human dreamt of a monster, the first place it would wake up was in the ruins. Sure enough, I met a new pal when I went there.

*It attacked me without warning, and let me tell you, the thing is already pretty strong. The special attack is leagues beyond me or my brother. In the end though, I was able to capture it.

*Capture it? But why?

*Don't you remember when you first work up as a monster? How strange and different everything was? Without any clues as to what your supposed to do, it can be pretty scary from some stranger to pop up. At the core we are all still animals in the end. Fight or flight'll kick in eventually.

*So I told the guy that I was a friend and that they needed to come with me to explain everything. I guess it didn't like the look I had on my face.

*Were you hurt? What happened!?

*nah. It couldn't touch me, way too primal to hit a skeleton like me. But the way it moved, its attacks...It all reminds me of the kid. In the end when it had me cornered, I asked if it would spare me. And it did. It didn't last long on its feet while we walked to the lab and collapsed. I carried the bones back here to keep them safe.

*It...spared you...! Then the human must have done it! So, what happens now? How do we wake it back up?

*Well, once the human gets here will all the dreams they've collected throughout their runs. The human will step in this pod with the monster and then use all the dreams in their inventory. When that happens, theoretically Frisk's Soul and Determination should merge with the Boss Monster. With the determination it'll be able to do the 2,398 resets required to stop the genocide Frisks.

*Thats wonderful Sans! This could not be going more perfectly!

*Exactly. That's the problem.

Toriel delight faded as she looked to the skeleton who had now turned away from Toriel.

*What do you mean?

*I ran the numbers. There's only a 38% chance this will work. Too many other factors that get in that way of that percentage.

*Factors...?

*For starters, we have no idea how Chara will react when we do this-or if they aren't ALREADY doing something about it right now. That kid isn't going to want to lose all their save data to us, especially with how low they think of monsters. And there is the fact that Chara still technically owns Frisk's soul in every run. Its possible that we could make a boss monster with Chara at the helm, instead of Frisk. And...

Sans's expression was hollow as he looked to the ground.

*Do you...really...truly believe in the kid...after all this? I mean, I never knew the kid outside of the underground. No idea what kind of person they are or what they've done. For all I know Frisk and Chara are one in the same, Frisk is just a better actor. What if Frisk has a change of heart once they get the untold power from having one of the most powerful human souls in the underground AND the strongest boss monster?

Toriel opened up to speak each time Sans made a point but Sans did not let Toriel speak until he was finished, and each time he did, her expression changed, faltered into silent disdain. Sans felt that disdain and looked back to her.

*You know its true! Don't you feel it sometimes when you look at the human? That feeling crawling down your spine of something not being right?

*...Just what is wrong with you Sans...?

*!?

In that moment, Toriel roared in fury, as she shouted at Sans the inner queen in her was finally unleashed! Most monsters forgot about this side of Toriel, passionate yet violent, which only made it all the more effective. Sans, torn between respecting his ruler and new friend or simply taking on the work himself, lost composure and looked visibly shaken by Toriel's new demeanor.

*You won't trust me, you won't trust the human, I'd be hard pressed t believe you trust your own brother! What is it inside you that keeps you from trusting other people!? And don't you dare bring up the resets as some kind of excuse! Somewhere in you there is a natural instinct to keep everyone around you at arms reach! Humans may be misguided but none of them are inherently evil! They need people like us to show them light in this world! If we had just shown any of the humans Asgore killed in cold blood any of the kindness the human has given us I imagine we would have gotten out of the underground a long time ago! My only hope in going through with this plan of yours is that by undoing all the damage that has been done, we can start over and show kindness to the humans that fall down here. Restore relations with them so that we can live in peace! But it can't work unless BOTH parties agree! EVERY. SINGLE. MONSTER. Needs to band together!

Panting, she finished her speech and saw that it had effectively worked on Sans to the point that the always-smiling skeleton was no longer smiling. Toriel's expression softened as she leaned down to touch Sans's shoulder.

*Sans I-

 ***So you want to know why I don't trust people?**

 ***Because trusting people...Got me killed.**

 ***Not just killed. Tortured. Forced to live in this pit until every scrap of flesh fell from my skin.**

 ***Because I fell down here...trying to protect you.**

It was at that moment that the human walked through the door. Their body was transparent.


	18. The Fusion

Horrified, Toriel looked to Sans.

*I...I don't understand-

But Sans took the humans entrance as his excuse to drop the conversation entirely. Walking over like nothing is wrong he greeted the human with a terrible ghost pun. It was clear that she was annoyed at how sans had dodged the question, but for the sake of the human, she let it slide and joined sans in welcoming the human.

*Halt! Who _ghost_ there?

Frisk looks down at their hands and then back to sans suddenly becoming fearful that they had changed to a point that sans no longer recognized Frisk.

*Nah I'm kiddin' I can see you kid-well mostly. Looks like you got the last of the dreams we need, go ahead and put them in the box like you did the others.

Frisk let out a sigh of relief, understanding that sans was joking and did as they were told.

It was hard to describe holding onto and dropping [Dreams]. The whole inventory thing was still a mystery to Frisk but they knew they had a few pockets and two working hands so usually carrying things or wearing things usually worked. And it wasn't like Frisk ever pulled out a glamburger in the middle of a fight and ACTUALLY ate it. Eating food doesn't heal wounds, at least not for humans! Plus with Frisk's low HP there really was no point to stockpile and instead hold on to the things that really mattered. That was what inventory was all about. The memories of times when they ate good food, or understood the joke behind the potato chisps, those were the things that kept Frisk going when things got rough. So when Frisk accessed their inventory, it was more like recalling old memories and then to drop them was more like forgetting them or in this case storing them away for something important.

Frisk really hadn't asked too many questions to sans about this process but the storage box they were using was indeed a curious instrument. Unlike the normal dimensional cubes that were always emptied out after a true reset, this box held all the dreams that Frisk had done for the past ten pacifist playthroughs. How could anything defy a true reset?

 _Maybe I should get a power like that...Just in case..._

The thought lingered in the back of Frisk's mind, but even that plagued the child with guilt. What if that was the old Frisk within them? The selfish and weak child that sought power through EXP?

*My child, are you...feeling well? I...I can barely see you!

Toriel was kneeling down next to Frisk, snapping them out of their trance. It was clear that it was disturbing her to see Frisk in this state and so, they offered their hand for the goat mother to hold. Smiling, she would take that hand and look to the human.

*I told myself I wouldn't cry...!

Quickly she turns away, doing a few breathing exercises to regain composure. Meanwhile, Sans seemed to be typing away on what looked to be a remote laptop computer. There seemed to be a picture of a white dog on the front of it.

*Besides, its not time to say goodbye just quite yet! I think I can hold out a little bit longer.

Both Frisk and Toriel smiled at this. It was the greatest feeling in the world to at least see Toriel happy after all this had happened. Even though they may not be related, their bond had become something not far off from what biological mothers and their children have. Plus, being together like this was very reminiscent of their time spent at Toriel's Home. It was at this point that Sans spoke up, his skeletal phalange slamming the enter key and then moving around from the laptop.

*She's right, looks like we gotta wait for these dreams to finish incubating, so, we got some time to kill.

*Wonderful! Then in that case...

The smell hits Frisk's nose before Toriel finishes her sentence. Butterscotch pie. The child's eyes widened in delight as they took in the splendor of the pie that Toriel had revealed. Back in the day Frisk would have been too intimidated by the size to even try to eat such a pie, but now after everything that had happened...Frisk felt they were up to the challenge.

*I thought we could share this together! ...Before...

Her words trailed off after that. Frisk knew what was going to happen and simply showed gratitude and excitement to getting another change to taste some of Toriel's home-cooking, quickly wrapping their arms around Toriel.

*Oh!

She set the pie down on the counter and gently placed her hand on top of Frisk's head.

*...You've come a long way haven't you? Back when I first found you, I thought for certain you would be doomed if you left Home to find Asgore, but now...You turned out to be the strongest of all of us. This conflict has gone on for far too long, and endless cycle of tragedy and death. Who would have guessed that a child would figure out what to do long before any of us adults! Only now as I hold your fading body, do I regret not being able to spend more time with you. To show you the wonder of the forest, the power of education...the feeling of freedom...Instead it seems you've only been given life's harsher lessons.

Frisk looks up to Toriel as she speaks, seeing that, again, she was losing composure and tearing up. Frisk told Toriel partly about how they even ended up here in the first place. How despair and self-destruction had brought them to the edge, and that, because of this, they asked for the harsher lessons in life. That in this way Frisk was able to grow now, more than they ever had on the surface. And finally they mention that while this is all great, Frisk really just wanted to have some pie. This made Toriel chuckle as she wiped away a few tears and began to plate some slices of pie.

*Of course my child. Here you are. Oh and sans here is a slice for you as well.

*Hey thanks, Don't mind if I do!

Hours pass as the three sit around and reminisce about their adventure while eating more and more of the pie. Each of them doing their best not to bring up anything that would spoil this perfect last moment. Which was unfortunate because right off the bat there was the issue with who could eat the pie. Sans, being a skeleton couldn't really eat anything without it going right through him, and Frisk, in their incorporal state, had a hard time grabbing at the slice. Regardless, sans and Frisk worked together to take turns distracting the humble goat mom and hiding the pie, so as to keep her from noticing it wasn't being eaten. Meanwhile, Toriel, still worried about what Sans said earlier didn't seem to strike up too much conversation with the skeleton, while sans played it off as though nothing was wrong, cracking jokes here and there and answering any of Frisk's questions about the other monsters here, or just life in the underground.

*No my child, I believe you meant to say "Library" there is no "Librarby" in snowdin.

*Actually...there is. Its kind of a funny story actually. You see, when the librarby was being built, we had no idea what to actually call the facility. Apparently there was some talk that back on the surface world there was a building that did the job of storing books and records but no one could remember the name. Then, I guess that kid, the striped shirt kid? Yeah, he was digging around the waterfall's trash and found some...well, trash...It was a fanfiction and lets just say...It wasn't one I'd let papyrus read. Anyway, in it there is a...particular library scene and it just so happened to have been misspelled as "Librarby" So naturally everyone freaked out and got the sign made up before doing any fact checking so...now its just kinda there.

*So why doesn't anyone redo the sign? Now that we know its spelled wrong?

Toriel asked.

*Well...After the monsters saw the *ahem* 'source material' for 'librarby' none of the monsters really took the idea too serious anymore. Instead, they went back to telling stories that mattered by word of mouth, like in the old days. Eventually it just became a place for people to solve the latest crossword or junior jumble.

*You mean to tell me that monsters as a civilization stepped back to the old days because they were grossed out by some piece of fiction?

*Guess it just shows how important it is to spell-check your work? Huh?

There was a slightly eerie way Sans said that last remark, almost as though he wasn't talking to Frisk...but someone else.

This method of sharing stories and debunking myths went on for hours, until eventually a noise emitted from the laptop. Patting his stomach like he had eaten a lot of pie, Sans rose to his feet and moved over to the computer.

*Looks like the dreams are ready.

Frisk looked down at their plate, a smile still on their face but the dread of knowing what was to happen next began to drain at the peaceful atmosphere. Shaking their head, Frisk rose to their feet. There was no time to be afraid. This was it.

The pod from before was back but this time it was opened and at the bottom was that same pile of bones.

*Are you ready...Frisk?

Toriel looked away from it all, her expression hardening as though it were too painful to watch. But Frisk simply nodded their head at Sans.

*Let me explain how this will work. When you go inside that pod, I'll flip the switch and the dreams you collected will start falling into your inventory. Its gonna look a little weird because your inventory isn't normally that big, if we're lucky the dreams will overlap into a glitched item. Then all you have to do is start using the dreams, over and over again think, dream, and pray that this monster you make will be what the underground needs to revert the damage. Meanwhile, the monster at your feet will begin to come to life from this and, by extension...

*It will take your soul.

*Then, with your soul and determination, the monster should have the ability to "spawn" at the point you fall into the underground, in every timeline. It will stand guard and strike you down before Toriel has a chance to find you. Which means...you as a human, will cease to exist. But hey who knows? Maybe the monster will inherit more of you than anything else, we may actually meet each other again soon.

Frisk smiles at the idea but finds it highly unlikely and again feels Toriel's arms around them.

*I've changed my mind, this plan is...just too horrible! Sans, there HAS to be another way! Isn't there something else we can do!?

*I wish there was Tori. But the kid loses his soul every time he makes it through the barrier. If Frisk leaves it up to that monster, none of us get a shot at life. We'll either be stuck here doing the same thing for the rest of eternity, or, Chara will ACTUALLY just kill us.

Frisk tightly grabbed at Toriel's arm and then gently, pulled away from her turning to face her they attempted to tell Toriel that it was going to be alright. That they would be seeing each other again very soon, and that this was for the best.

*You ceasing to exist is never the best option! You're just a child! You shouldn't have to make this kind of sacrifice for us!

Frisk reached for their neck and removed the [Heart-Shaped Locket] from their inventory and place it around Toriel's neck. All Frisk could say was that they would meet again and then went into the pod. This left Toriel stunned, looking back to the child and clutching at the locket they were torn between protecting their child and accepting the only course of destiny that saved the rest of her kingdom. In the end, she knew in her heart that she would have to oblige. Sans stood in front of the pod, blocking off any chance Frisk had to escape. In fact at this point all Frisk could really see was Sans's face.

*This is it kid. I would give you more time if I could to go say good bye, but time isn't something we really can afford with the rate the timelines are being devoured. The underground may forget you, but here? Right now? This is something I will always remember. If I were to judge you now I'd say, **you're one of the greatest humans that ever lived.** Even if you made mistakes, you did what was right to correct them and have made a choice that most people would never even consider. Frisk...I'd be lying if I said I wasn't going to miss you too. Even after all that's happened...Well we're still pals right?

Frisk shook their head, holding back their own tears.

*Then...put er there...pal.

Sans held his hand out for Frisk to shake. Frisk took it like it was the greatest honor, and it was because for once, there was no woopie cushion on it. Just a sincere handshake from two people who considered each other friends and equals. Sans seemed to be staring directly into Frisk's eyes, expecting to find something malicious but only finding Frisk's pure and noble intent. Closing his eyes he chuckles and presses a button on the laptop, shutting the pod. Toriel looked up at the sound and rushed over to the pod, playing her hand on the pod's glass. Frisk returned the gesture, placing their hand parallel to Toriel's own.

*Here we go.

Sans said as he pressed enter on the keyboard. When he did this a strange purple mist began to flood the chamber. The dreams were all around Frisk and in them Frisk could see all the dreams and wills of the underground moving and beating as one. Frisk prayed with all their might that they would create a monster to great and powerful that these monsters whom Frisk considered family would finally get the ending they deserve. As Frisk did this, the dreams pooled from Frisk and onto the bones of the monster forcing them to form a body that resembled Frisk's own. Standing next to Frisk was a skeleton, the skeleton that Frisk would become. The human turned to face the skeleton its eyes were black and lifeless and grabbed its hands with theirs. The connection was immediate, like staring into a mirror, Frisk could feel their sense of identity being pulled into that afterimage and a large, red heart floated out in front of Frisk connecting the two. Human and monster.

And then..almost like a flick of a switch, the soul shot back inside Frisk and someone different was standing in the pod with the monster.

 **Do you really believe that a plan, as foolish as this will work?**

That green striped shirt, and that eerily cheery demeanor could only mean one thing. Sans and Toriel looked in horror at the beast staring back at them from the pod.

 **A.**

Sans recognized instantly and turned the switch off to stop the fusion process, gasterblasters appeared from all around the room and pointed at the pod, but just before they fired, Chara spoke calmly.

 **There is no need to panic, I don't plan to do anything to either of you or this child's body.**

 **There is no need to.**

 **I simply wish to see the child off.**

 **Ensure that they really are, erasing themselves from this world.**

 **And remind you all that deep down, Frisk was destroyed long ago.**

 **This human made their choice.**

 **Their soul?**

 **Its mine.**

 **And your plan seems to be established on the fact that I do not touch the soul until the barrier is destroyed.**

 **...**

 **But what is to stop me from simply taking it now?**

 **To become God and send this world back into the abyss?**

 **Do you see how easily it is for me to take over?**

*Chara...my child...is it, really you? If you can hear me...Please! Please let me know.

Toriel weakly uttered as she looked at the demon behind the glass. Chara's gaze seemed to look through Toriel as it spoke.

 **But nobody came.**

 **The child you speak of, is also a part of me, just like Frisk.**

 **ATK DEF LV EXP**

 **Every time that number increased...that feeling?**

 **That was me.**

 **Chara.**

 **...**

 **And these humans have done a great deal of leveling.**

 **Across all these timelines...**

 **We have grown quite strong.**

 **But I still need the barrier to be destroyed.**

 **There is nothing left for us in this world.**

In that moment Sans realized what Chara was saying, his hands trembling. Chara reads this in an instant and turns to look at the skeleton, his eyes darkening as all of reality seems to shift and warp. Chara was not just interested in having the human souls, like Flowey instead, Chara wanted to ensure that by the time they had all the souls, there would be nothing left to resist them. In other words, Chara appearing now wasn't some kind of sign that their plan was destined to fail, quite to the contrary, Chara was going to let it happen. Chara was taunting Sans. Goading him to make this choice so that when the monster failed either by Frisk giving in, or Chara defeating the monster...Chara would win.

 **So you finally understand.**

 **Good.**

 **Then do it.**

 **Let's throw the switch on this miserable world and return it all to the void.**

*You won't win against that child. Frisk...I know in my heart that Frisk is the savior of the underground and would never sell us out for power. Frisk knows the cost now, they are not the child you once fooled! Right Sans!?

Toriel spoke in Frisk's defense, not exactly sure what was going on but doing their best to keep up hope. Her expression was mortified however when she saw Sans's hand trembling over the button. As much as his heart wanted to believe Sans did not fully trust the human to succeed and was starting to believe that he was playing into Chara's hand.

*Sans! Throw the switch! Do it!

 **Is that your name? Sans?**

 **Well then Sans...**

 **You've been a great partner.**

 **\- Continue with the fusion.**

 **\- Abort the fusion.**

(I leave the choice to the people still reading this.)


	19. Epilogue

Epilogue  
Long ago, two races ruled over the earth: HUMANS and MONSTERS  
One day, war broke out between the two races.  
After a long battle, the humans were victorious  
They sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell

Many years later...

Mt. Ebott 20XX/p  
Legends say that those who climb the mountain never return...

UNDERTALE

Name the fallen human:  
BACON  
This name is already taken. Proceed anyway?  
Yes **No**  
Name the fallen human:  
PAPYRU  
I'll allow it! (But the name is already taken. Proceed anyway?)  
Yes **No**  
Name the fallen human  
FRISK  
This name will make your life hell. (But the name is already taken. Proceed anyway?)

 **Yes** No

You awake in a field of yellow flowers in a place you do not recognize. Rising to your feet, you brush yourself off and take a look at your surroundings. It seemed to be a huge cave of sorts and apparently the flowers here broke your fall? You try not to question it since it saved your life. Looking up you can see the hole you fell through. Definitely not going back the way you came. Instead, you decide to venture forward into the cave, armed only with a stick and a band-aid you forgot was in your pocket.

Walking down the hallway you see a wide open door leading deeper into the cave, however you do not head into the door as a figure blocks your way. The shadows of the cave seem to obscure the figure from sight but you make out that this appears to be another person about your age, and yet, something about it is off-setting. The figure remains still until you either approach it, or call out to it and then, as if on command, a brightly shaded rainbow of lights pours out of the figure's eye. Its hand emerges from the darkness giving you just enough time to see that the hand was not human at all, but skeletal as your body is flown backwards into the chamber. Yellow flower petals are knocked up into the air as you land.

HP: 19/20

Footsteps echo through the chamber as the figure moves away from the door and closer to you. Your eyes are locked on the figure's eyes and their flashing pupils. Was Frisk already doomed before they even began? Rising to your feet, you draw your weapon as the world perspective shifts into battle phase. You have enough time to realize that in this mode, you control the heart with the arrow keys, presumably to dodge attacks and keep yourself alive. As you get familiar with this concept...the figure appears!

 **Its you.**

Although they are without skin, and have a large blade in tow, this person...just by looking at their face you can tell...its you! The skeleton stares at you without making a move. You note that the skeleton had the same jeans and shoes that you did only that they were far more torn than your own, to the point that the pants were basically shorts. It was likely that this skeleton had the same shirt on as you but, it was impossible to tell with the armor they were wearing. It was a kind of opaque plate mail that covered the whole torso with a strange rune emblazoned in the middle. Definitely a body suited for battle. The rainbow eyes however are the most distracting because, as a skeleton its eye hole was quite large, but there was a smaller pupil inside the eye that was constantly cycling colors. This did not feel like a battle that was supposed to be happening this soon.

Their expression is neutral, controlled, as though they are ready to jump at the blink of an eye, but disciplined enough to wait for the nanosecond before combat started to do so. You also feel as though they are looking more through you than at you...

It continues to stand still, waiting for your response. You see that you have several options: Fight, Act, Item and Mercy. You decide to try act first as you can't imagine fighting something of this magnitude. One of the options is check, which seemed like a pretty safe and neutral option.

?  
HP: ? ATK: ? DEF: ?  
Determination.

The skeleton takes its turn, slowly reaching for their blade. To you, it doesn't even look like they cut before lines start appearing around your heart. You instinctively dodge but notice that the cuts are not aimed at you. Instead, they were forming letters.

G A M E  
O V E R 

Disturbed by this, you try to run but of course, the flee option is not available. How could the game be over? It had just begun! Hitting the act button you attempt to talk to the skeleton, telling it that you do not want to be killed. Finally, it speaks in a voice not much different than your own.

"Human...What is your name?"

Feeling slightly more at ease with the mysterious skeleton you tell it the name that you entered at the title screen. This does not sit well with the skeleton as the tension shifts dramatically. Thrusting its empty hand to the side a heart begins to form behind the skeleton, but looking closely you see that the heart isn't just one big heart but rather thousands and thousands of little hearts circulating together. The skeleton places its hand on the heart and it opens slightly to reveal the heart in the very center labeled "Frisk"

"Wrong. A coward like you could never be FRISK."

Its at this point that the world seems to lose control. Your vision becomes hazy and the strength in your body seems to be leaving you. Looking down at your body you see that you are not the striped shirted child you were when you fell down the hole but...Yourself! One of many real humans who purchased the game UNDERTALE. The skeleton sees your confusion and smirks, grazing its fingers through the heart like files in a cabinet until they reveal a new heart.

It has your name on it.

"So THAT'S your name. Its good to meet you. Now, please lay down your weapon, it will make my job...a whole lot easier."

? is sparing you.

With the world spiraling and spinning like it was, none of it really made much sense. You decide its best to not fight this boss monster and do as they ask, when you do this, the battle immediately ends.

The skeleton grabs the heart with your name on it and rushes forward, slamming the heart into you. Surprsingly, it doesn't hurt at all. Instead, you see a playback of all the events that occurred in the underground from the Human Monster War, the first fallen child's death, Frisk's appearance, all the way up to their creation of the monster standing before you. Because of this, you understand at that point that to let these monsters be happy, you had to let them go, and that, after a long time of getting to know them it was time to set them free from the prison that was this game. At this point you are unable to make any further commands, simply, turn the game off and carry the legend of the story in your heart.

* * *

As the human disappears, the skeleton wipes their brow and forces the giant heart to disappear again, sheathing their blade in the process.

"wow. You look dead tired kid."

From behind, the monster hears the familiar voice of Sans and turns to greet them, speaking through panted breaths

"Oh, sans, its you. I-I think that's the last of em' for today."

"Must be a new record or somethin'. What does that make it...four humans in one day?"

"hahh...haah...Yes. And I'm still no where close to getting rid of this heart."

"Don't sweat it kid, we got all the time in the world to get this done. Why don't you come with Papyrus and me to Grillby's? Get somethin to eat?"

Sans turned to walk down the way and the monster seemed eager to join them but after a moment of thought, they came to a stop, which Sans noticed when he stopped hearing their footsteps.

"...You still think I'm Frisk...don't you? Every day as I march to this spot I hear people talk about how great that person was. And I look up and I gaze at that glowing statue of them in the center of snowdin and see the hope and wonder in the other monsters eyes as they look at it, so I wouldn't blame you if you do. I...see that I look like Frisk, that I should BE Frisk but...I am not. In reality, I have no name, no purpose other than the one I inherited. You've all been very kind to me since I came here (aside from the time you blasted me to pieces :C ) But, sometimes I wonder...Are you guys just perpetuating Frisk's life through me? And more importantly...is that my reason to exist?"

Sans sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Look, I won't deny that you and Frisk appear identical, the resemblance is perfect right down to the bone!"

The monster squinted their eyes at Sans, already tired of the bone puns, but Sans carried on.

"But that human made a lot of bad choices because they thought the way you are thinking now. That you need some kind of purpose to live, or that living is just a means to an end. Take it from me, life is way too unpredictable to ever really define its purpose. When you're thinkin about this stuff, you have to think with color. For example, what's the normal color for all the stop signs in the world?"

"Well...From what you've told me, all stop signs are blue."

"Thats right, all stop signs are blue. But, imagine if you saw a red stop sign. Wouldn't you still come to a stop?"

"I suppose..."

"The structures of life are at the mercy of the people who interpret it, which means the most important thing you can do in your life is to live it to the fullest extent that you can interpret. In other words, you need to be able to live for the sake of living. Frisk figured this out at the end of their life, and I think that's why you and Frisk look so much alike. Somewhere in that big heart, Frisk is watching you, silently cheering you on as their second chance at life. To watch you make friends just to have friends, or to achieve a goal for the sake of achieving a goal or, my personal favorite, to do nothing for the sake of doing nothing!"

"Live for the sake of living...I don't have much of a life of my own, but...do you suppose if I continue to be with you and your brother...I can do that as well?"

"Its certainly not a bad place to start and from there, who knows what could happen. You could hear my bad jokes and become a terrible comedian, an amazing pasta chief like my brother, a talented knight like undyne, or whatever pull together in that head of yours."

The monster reflects on what Sans said to them. The idea was very broad and seemed to have lots of stipulations that couldn't possibly make it as simple as Sans was describing it, but, knowing that they were made off of the dreams of a child that just wanted to live...filled the monster with determination.

"Looks like your gettin' the hang of it already. Over here Calibri, I know a shortcut."

"Calibri?"

"Yeah, I have to call you something don't I?"

Somehow...it felt like the best name the monster could have.


End file.
